Two governors — one Democrat and one Republican — say Washington lawmakers must put aside "party politics" and work together to fashion healthcare reform that will give people greater access to quality care.

Writing in Time magazine, Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., say partisan politics got in the way of passing any meaningful healthcare fixes in 2017, and that Congress should take a cue from what many governors have proposed.

They wrote that the problem could be solved "if leaders will remove the partisan blinders that narrow their vision and block any hope of solutions …

"Away from Washington and back in the states, governors know that we can work across the aisle to increase value in our health care system, lowering costs while improving health."

They said a group of governors have developed a blueprint for a better system, including "key strategies" to improve health and lower costs.

"None is more important than paying for value instead of volume," they wrote. "Too often in our present system, doctors, hospitals and others get paid more when people are sick than when they are well. States are leading efforts to change this, increasing access to comprehensive primary care and eliminating incentives to provide unnecessary services."

They said major companies like Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway have developed innovative ways to provide healthcare for their employees, and they said patients must be allowed to make value-conscious choices.

"A patient who needs a knee replacement should be able to choose the facility and doctor that provides the best care at the lowest price," they wrote.

"Governors are willing partners, but states can’t do this alone … we sincerely hope that bipartisanship becomes the rule and not the exception in Washington."

Two governors – one Democrat and one Republican – say Washington lawmakers must put aside "party politics" and work together to fashion healthcare reform that will give people greater access to quality care.